Digital Commons Network^™

Scalable Embedded Parallel System With Implementation Of Multi-Node Encryption, Binh Pham

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies promote a demand for high-performance processing systems, underscoring the importance of parallel computing. As a result, the application of parallel systems has spread across various domains. Most of the existing parallel systems are implemented on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), which require complex designs and adjustments from the user and are often costly despite some performance benefits. This work explores an alternative approach by implementing a parallel system with a distributed memory protocol on affordable and commercially available microcontroller platforms to provide a scalable and cost-effective system. The proposed parallel system …

Marine Ecosystem Services Disruption And Social Violence, Rafael Hurtado-Valdivieso

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Over the past century, human activities have profoundly altered ocean and coastal ecosystems, significantly impacting communities whose livelihoods depend on these environments. This dissertation explores how disruptions in marine ecosystem services contribute to the emergence of social violence in coastal communities, with a specific focus on the Colombian Caribbean. While prior research suggests a potential link between environmental degradation and conflict, empirical evidence remains limited and inconclusive. This study addresses that gap through a multi-method, interdisciplinary approach that integrates environmental science, political science, and computational modeling to examine the mechanisms linking ecosystem disruption to social violence.

The research follows a …

Bridging Data Gaps And Forecasting Challenges In Water Quality Monitoring Using Deep Learning, Rohan Gudla

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Reliable water quality monitoring is critical for protecting public health and enabling sustainable environmental management. However, high rates of missing data often exceed 40% due to sensor failures and operational disruptions severely undermine the utility of environmental monitoring systems. To address this challenge, this thesis presents a three-stage deep learning framework designed to enhance the accuracy and resilience of water quality forecasting. First, a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory model with Attention and Autoencoder Modules (BiLSTM-AAM) is introduced to impute long, irregular gaps in multivariate time series. Applied to real-world data from the St. Lucie River Basin, the model achieved a …

Enhancing Intelligent Transportation Systems: Scalability, Emulation, And Applications Of V2x Communication For Connected And Autonomous Vehicles, Ghayoor Shah

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The integration of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication is a key advancement for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), enhancing the safety, efficiency, and intelligence of modern Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). While Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) rely heavily on onboard sensor data for situational awareness, they remain limited in non-line-of-sight scenarios, which can lead to critical driver errors and accidents. V2X communication extends this awareness by enabling real-time exchange of information beyond sensor range, improving decision-making and reducing collisions.

Two primary V2X technologies are Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) and Cellular-V2X (C-V2X). While DSRC, based on IEEE 802.11p, was initially prominent in research, C-V2X, standardized …

Accurate And Efficient Orbit Probability Approximation Framework For Space Situational Awareness, Pugazhenthi Sivasankar

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Uncertainty Propagation in astrodynamics has gained importance in space situational awareness (SSA) problems such as space debris tracking, collision avoidance, and Cislunar operations. In this dissertation, the technique of Orbit Probability Approximation (OPA) is developed. OPA propagates orbital uncertainty using Liouville’s theorem with different functional approximations. First, OPA is formulated with Chebyshev polynomials to propagate the uncertainty on a geocentric planar orbit problem and then validated using two sources of satellite data: GRACE navigation data from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) database, and FireOPAL ground-based observer provided by Lockheed Martin. In this validation process, OPA propagates uncertainty without using any …

Computational Approaches For Rna Structural Motif Analysis: Similarities, Variations, And Spatial Relationships, Md Mahfuzur Rahaman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The three-dimensional structures of RNA play a critical role in understanding their functions. One way to study the RNA 3D structure is by analyzing recurrent segments within the loop regions of RNAs, known as RNA structural motifs. These motifs can be grouped into families based on their structural features. However, the inherent structural diversity presents challenges in characterizing the similarities, variations, and spatial relationships within RNA motif families. This dissertation presents three computational methods that together provide a comprehensive framework for RNA structural motif analysis. First, RNAMotifComp establishes and visualizes relational networks among structural motif families. By analyzing instances of …

“Rights Not Rescue”: How Stigma Influences Harmful Legislation Toward Sex Workers In The Deep South, Abigail Mckenzie Conover

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In the United States, while prostitution or sex work is not explicitly illegal at a federal level, certain characteristics have been criminalized, mainly in indirect ways. This is significant when considering the different ways that sex work is regarded (both positively and negatively) at an institutional level. The current study examines the potential correlation between structural/institutional stigma regarding sex work/sex workers and legislation meant to directly or indirectly harm sex workers. The overall goal of this research was to answer the following question: How does structural/institutional stigma against sex workers present itself in legislation? To accomplish this, I conducted a …

From Microns To Mons: Investigating Airless Body Surface Properties And Processes, Autumn N. Shackelford

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Understanding how airless bodies have evolved in the space environment is essential for interpreting remote sensing data and constraining the weathering processes that alter airless body surfaces over time. This dissertation utilizes coordinated experimental, observational, and analytical techniques to investigate airless body surface properties and processes. Our first study seeks to characterize mechanical breakdown of the lunar regolith caused by ice-regolith interactions within the lunar polar regolith environment. The second and third studies investigate the effects of simulated micrometeorite bombardment via a novel dual pulsed laser experimental setup on iron-poor, carbon-rich Mercury and carbonaceous asteroid analogs. We analyze the spectral, …

Preparing For The Habitable Worlds Observatory: Spectropolarimetric Radiative Transfer Models Of Terrestrial (Exo)Planets, Kenneth E. Goodis Gordon

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The next major step for the exoplanet community lies in the characterization of terrestrial exoplanets, especially when it comes to identifying biosignatures and determining the habitability of these worlds. In response to this, NASA has proposed the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), with the primary goal of searching for and characterizing Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones (HZ) of their stars. However, current characterization strategies that only rely on the unpolarized flux from the planets lose some of the informational content of the observed light and therefore suffer from degeneracies in the calculated planetary parameters. The sensitivity of polarization to the …

Phase Retrieval And Fidelity Preserving Quantum Channels, Kai Liu

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis investigates the preservation of fundamental quantum properties under noisy quantum processes. Motivated by the challenges of maintaining coherence and information integrity in realistic quantum systems, we study three distinct structural properties: phase retrievability, orbit injectivity, and fidelity preservation. Each property reflects a unique facet of how quantum information can be robustly encoded, distinguished, or compared in the presence of environmental interactions.

In the first part of the thesis, we analyze phase retrievable quantum channels which allow recovery of a quantum state up to a global phase. We provide structural characterizations using the Kraus representation and the joint spectrum …

"Identity (Change) Is Not A Joke, Jim!": The Role Of Change In Responsible Drinking Identity On Behavioral Change In College Alcohol Interventions, Angelina V. Leary

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Identity has long fascinated humans, and recent research has explored its role in behavioral change. Identity change may explain why some behavioral interventions are more effective than others. This dissertation examined this idea within the context of college student alcohol interventions. While numerous interventions exist for college students, only some appear to yield long-term effects. It was hypothesized that the key differentiator in effectiveness is how an intervention reshapes an individual’s responsible drinking identity. Participants (71.93% White, 59.40% Female) from a Southeastern university were randomly assigned to one of four intervention conditions: Deviance Regulation Theory (DRT), Personalized Normative Feedback (BASICS), …

Breaking The Karen Curse: A Look At Anti-Mistreatment Signage's Impact On Customer Mistreatment Through Customer Empathy And Entitlement, Amanda Grinley

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of customers mistreating service workers and examines how physical signage about customer behavior can influence the likelihood of such mistreatment occurring in a work environment. The impact of signage was studied broadly at an individual level in Study 1 by comparing the mistreatment service workers experience in workplaces with and without anti-mistreatment signage, and in more depth at an event level from the point of view of the customer in Study 2 using an experimental video vignette design. Results from the two studies indicate that anti-mistreatment signage can significantly reduce the likelihood of customer mistreatment …

The Role Individual Differences And Environmental Factors In Automated Driving Performance, John M. Duany

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of ADHD diagnosis, inclement weather, non-driving-related tasks (NDRT), automation failures, and traffic density on driving performance and takeover performance. This study also examined the relationship between dispositional factors (i.e., trust in automation, cognitive failures, and self-efficacy) and dynamic factors (i.e., mental workload, situation awareness, and situational trust) in relation to automated driving performance. A total of 156 participants were recruited for this study, including drivers with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Each participant completed four experimental drives and two baseline drives. Mental workload, heart rate variability (HRV), situational trust, …

Pride Or Prejudice: An Examination Of Queer Content In Florida High Schools, Niamh L. Harrop

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis explores how queer individuals reflect on the presence—or more often, the absence—of queer content in their high school education. Despite increasing visibility of LGBTQ+ people in popular culture and legal reform, formal educational spaces remain largely heteronormative and cisnormative structured from a heterosexual and cisgender standpoint. Through a critical qualitative approach, this study draws on semi-structured interviews with 13 queer participants who attended high school in Florida in the years between the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015 and the passage of Florida’s H.B. 1557 (“Don’t Say Gay” law) in 2022. Using thematic analysis, four key themes were …

Examining Educational Inequalities And Driving Science’S Next Generation Forward: Geobus Program Theory Evaluation, Elise M. Lorenzo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study presents a theory-driven evaluation of GeoBus, a mobile science lab designed to deliver hands-on, “fun learning experiences” via a solar powered, technology-rich learning environment brought directly to K-12 students in Central Florida Title 1 schools. While STEM education is widely recognized as essential for promoting equity, many schools, particularly in under-resourced communities, continue to face barriers to accessing meaningful and inclusive science learning opportunities. GeoBus was created in response to this need, offering students an informal learning environment with exposure to geospatial technologies and interactive science content.

Drawing on mixed-methods data, including content from the GeoBus website and …

Ucf Pegasus Plan - 5th Grade - Early American Inventions, Del M. Herman, Jaclyne Casella, Kathryn Garner

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

During this unit, students will trace early American inventions' effects on the early United States and the business productivity of that era. Students will complete primary source analyses on the different inventions, take guided notes in a foldable on each invention, and participate in a collaborative project where students will create a PowerPoint on a particular early American invention in order to demonstrate proficiency in this unit.

Hypertension, Diabetes, And Chronic Kidney Disease In Young Adults: Nhanes Data From 2013-2018, Ashly Rodriguez Reyes

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Background. Several studies have reported the link between diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity as risk factors for the onset of chronic kidney disease (CKD), ultimately leading to renal replacement therapies such as dialysis and kidney transplantation. Although extensively researched in adults aged 55 years and older, CKD remains under-researched for young adults. Despite its emergence as a healthcare concern, limited data exists on risk factors impacting young adults without major comorbidities.

Objective. This research study aims to understand the potential risk factors unique to this population, seeking to guide prevention strategies and improve prognosis in already diagnosed individuals. Additionally, …

Living In Fear: Be Empathetic (Life)-Tool Kit, Desiree A. Díaz, Heather Peralta, Samantha Stephenson, Danny Hernandez, Geraldine Luzincourt, Syretta Spears, Ann Marie Parker, Trysten Altamirano

Nursing Handouts, Tools, and Other Documents

Open source materials to immerse learners in rural and public health experiences are needed to ensure the new work force is equipped to care for a variety of people in differing circumstances. Public health remains a vital yet underemphasized component within healthcare education, specifically nursing education. This often limits opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary to become strong advocates for equity and systemic change. A

This project emerged from a commitment to provide experiential opportunities replicating the communities we serve. A Empathy Walk and LIFE Clinic (Díaz et al., 2025) was created as a strategy designed to engage …

Design Of A Simplified Biomimetic Autonomous Entertainment Robot, Jessica E. Morris, Shanny May Ruiz, Morgan Snyder, Hannah Guild, Gabriel Cardona-Tous

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

The advancement of technology has paved the way for robots with the purpose of entertainment to become more popular. However, the exploration of biomimetic actions as a factor of entertainment is majorly limited to the mimicry of young domesticated animals such as puppies and kittens, with some notable exceptions. However, there is a wide range of possibilities for robotics that mimic animals marketed as pets, outside of the common examples. This work seeks to explore the opportunity for autonomous systems with entertainment driven and expressive actions in the family of Testudines (turtles and tortoises), an undomesticated species, but still often …

Ucf Pegasus Plan - 2nd Grade - Symbol Explorers: Discovering Us And Florida Symbols, Jessica L. Elliott, Hailey Smith, Therissa Leo, Julia Cecelia, Fredrieka Clemons

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

During this unit, students will identify essential American and Florida symbols and the symbolic meaning behind what they represent through hands on experiences, visual lectures, and exploratory projects. The students will participate in whole group and small group discussions along with actively engage in several comprehensive opportunities.

Teachers' Feedback And Students' Emotional Wellbeing In Writing Courses, Amar Bahadur Sherma

Journal of English Learner Education

While feedback is a corrective business in every sphere of human life, most students do not have a positive perception of teachers’ feedback. Previous studies have emphasized the relationship between students’ writing achievements and the effectiveness of teachers’ feedback. However, no substantial research on how teachers’ feedback affects students’ emotional well-being has been undertaken. This article examines the relationship between students’ understanding of their teachers’ feedback on their writing assignments and emotional wellbeing. Data was collected from (N = 63) Nepali undergraduate students through Google Forms. The Forms consisted of structured and unstructured questions. According to the data, a mismatch …

The Science Of Reading, Writing, And Dual And English Language Learners, Vickie Johnston, Nika Verna

Journal of English Learner Education

This paper presents an evidence-based approach to meeting the needs of dual language and English Language Learners (ELL) that includes leveraging the skills and knowledge of the home language, oral language instruction, and the utilization of both effective writing instruction and multicultural children’s literature. This evidence-based approach includes insights gleaned from the science of reading (SOR) and research on writing development with ELLs and instruction needed to help their written communication skills. Practical classroom applications for using multicultural children’s literature include integrating the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to ensure the literature chosen is necessary for some and beneficial …

Why The “Whole Language Approach” To Reading Fails Ell Students & Instructional Strategies To Employ Instead, Caitlyn E. Petrus

Journal of English Learner Education

The research presented in this article demonstrates a qualitative view of the science of reading for phonemic awareness instruction, phonics instruction, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension strategies for English Language Learners (ELLs) in PK-12 schools. The research builds upon esteemed writers Dr. Sharon Vaughn and Dr. Sylvia Linan-Thompson’s work in their book Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction for Learners, Grades K-4 and other reading experts such as Dr. Wiley Blevins and Dr. Lisa Moats to apply to the growing population for ELLs in PK-12 schools and how to shift from a “whole language classroom” to a classroom built on the …

Censorship Is Still A Drag: Lgbtq Materials And Programming Under Siege In Libraries, Jason D. Phillips, Jordan Ruud, Kestrel Ward, Amanda Melilli

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The presentation Censorship Is Still a Drag explores the escalating challenges facing libraries as they strive to uphold intellectual freedom amid rising censorship efforts targeting LGBTQ+ materials and programming. Drawing from the book Censorship Is a Drag: LGBTQ Materials and Programming Under Siege in Libraries, the presenters—Jason D. Phillips, Jordan Ruud, Kestrel Ward, and Amanda Melilli—offer a comprehensive overview of the legal, political, and institutional pressures threatening inclusive library practices. Through case studies and firsthand accounts, the presentation examines the impact of both external censorship and internal resistance within libraries, and introduces the concept of “queer battle fatigue” to …

Irish Environmental Humanities, Emily Reiff

James Joyce Literary Supplement

No abstract provided.

Albert L. Altman: A Political Model For Leopold Bloom, Shelly Harder

James Joyce Literary Supplement

No abstract provided.

Criticism By Other Means, Ericson Charlie

James Joyce Literary Supplement

No abstract provided.

The Death Of Joyce: From Author To Reader, Trisevgeni Bilia

James Joyce Literary Supplement

No abstract provided.

Detecting Physical Activity Using Wearable Sensor Data, Dipok Deb

Data Science and Data Mining

This study focuses on detecting physical activity using wearable sensor data, specifically distinguishing between walking and running. A dataset comprising accelerometer and gyroscope readings is used to train and evaluate various machine learning models, including logistic regression, random forest, k-nearest neighbors, naïve Bayes, and XGBoost. Extensive preprocessing, such as creating lag features and rolling statistics, is performed to enhance temporal data representation. The models are evaluated using metrics like accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. Incorporating lag and rolling features significantly improves model performance, with logistic regression achieving perfect scores across all metrics. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of enhanced …

Public Health Simulation Infused Program (Pship) Toolkit, Desiree A. Díaz, Mindi Anderson, Francisco Guido-Sanz, Peggy Hill, Samantha Stephenson, Heather Peralta, Syretta Spears, Geraldine Luzincourt

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Project Narrative

PURPOSE AND NEED

Purpose: Priorities set forth by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) are addressed in the proposed simulation program in an effort to meet curricular needs and foster care to the medically underserved in Florida, further exposing students to public healthcare needs. Interprofessional (nursing and social work) and intraprofessional (undergraduate nurse and Nurse Practitioner [NP]) instruction is essential in the simulation-based education (SBE) program, promoting important content on identifying risk factors and health assessment of the medically underserved community (MUC) (Education Priority 2, §831). Coordination of medical care is a vicarious learning opportunity for all …